Extensible shelf unit for medicine cabinet



Oct. 1 6, 1956 c. A. BURGER ETAL 2,

- EXTENSIBLE SHELF UNIT FOR MEDICINE; CABINET Filed June 17, 1953 v2 Sheets-Sheet 1 F/G. v 15 I lnlnh w IN V EN TORS CLETUS A. BURGER 8 l3 BY JOHN E KELLEY A r TORNEY United States Patent O 'EXTENSIBLE SHELF UNIT FOR lVIEDICINE CABINET Cletus A. Burger, Barherton, and John F. Kelley, Akron, Ohio; said Kelley assignor to said Burger Application June 17, 1953, Serial No. 362,264

7 Claims. (Cl. 312298) This invention relates to an extensible and retractible shelf unit for medicine or like cabinets.

One object of the present invention is to provide an auxiliary shelf unit for attachment within a medicine cabinet of the type having a box-like body recessed in a bathroom wall and a hinged door adapted to be swung open to one side of the cabinet, wherein the shelf is extensible to a convenient position of use outwardly and below the bottom of the cabinet.

Another object of the invention is to provide an auxiliary shelf unit of the character described wherein the shelf may be extended to position below the cabinet opening which permits closing said door, as for normal use of the usual mirror on the outer face thereof.

Other objects of the invention will be manifest from the following brief description and the accompanying drawings.

Of the accompanying drawings:

Figure l is a front view of a medicine cabinet having incorporated therein a shelf unit embodying the features of the invention, in retracted condition.-

Figure 2 is an enlarged perspective view, partly broken away and in section, illustrating the shelf unit in fully extended condition.

Figure 3 is a further enlarged end view of the shelf unit, parts of the cabinet being in section and parts in chain-dotted lines.

Figure 4 is a fragmentary vertical cross-section taken on the line 44 of Figure 3.

Figure 5 is a fragmentary vertical cross-section taken on the line 55 of Figure 3.

Figure 6 is a fragmentary horizontal cross-section taken substantially on the line 66 of Figure 3.

Figure 7 is a top plan view, partly broken away, of the rear portion of the improved shelf unit.

Figure 8 is a fragmentary vertical cross-section taken substantially on the line 88 of Figure 7.

Referring to Figures 1 .and 3 of the drawings, the numeral 16 designates a retractible shelf unit embodying the features of the invention mounted on the bottom ledge 11 of a medicine cabinet 12 of the usual box-like structure built into a recess in a wall 13, and having a mirror front door14 hinged to one side, as indicated at 15, 15.

The shelf unit is designed to be horizontally and vertically adjustable to present an auxiliary shelf 16 thereof in front of the cabinet, at a convenient level beneath the door 14. Accordingly, an upright backing member 17 extends laterally of the cabinet in a vertical plane, the same including superposed relatively thin, flat inner, outer and intermediate parts 18, 19 and 20, respectively. The inner part 18 is formed to have recessed portions 20' at the opposite lower corners thereof (see Figure 5), each defining a downwardly presented shoulder 21 engageable with the top flange 22 of an elongated channelshaped track 23, and a square protuberance 24 slidably received in a channel portion 25 of the track, said track being suitably secured to the bottom ledge 11 of the cab- 2,767,041 Patented Oct. 16, 1956 Ice inet (see Figure 5). The bottom edge 27 of the inner part 18 may be supported on the lower flanges 28 of the spaced tracks 23, which extend to the full inward depth of the cabinet. The outer ends of the channel portions 25 are closed by fixed portions 30 (see Figure 4), which are engageable by the protuberances 24 (Figure 5) to limit outward sliding movement of the inner backing part 18. I

superposed upon inner backing part 18, in vertically slidable, tongue-and-grooved relation as indicated at 31, 31 may be said intermediate backing part 19, which in turn has the outer part 20 superposed thereon, in verticaily slidable, tongue-and-groove relation, as indicated at 32, 32 (see Figures 2, 3, 6 and 7). For limiting downward sliding movement of the intermediate backing part 19 in an extended position of use of the unit 10 to be described later, pins 33 selectively adjustably received in vertically spaced holes 34 in the intermediate part 19 are slidably received in vertically extending grooves 35 in the inner backing part 18 (see Figures 6 and 7 Similarly, the outer backing part 20 is limited in downward sliding movement on the intermediate part 19, by means of pins 36 adjustably mounted in said outer part to be vertically slidably received in grooves 37 in said intermediate part (see Figures 7 and 8). Thus, in an outwardly extended position of the backing member 10 the parts are downwardly extensible, as shown in Figure 2, to present a shelf 15 carried by the outer part 20 forwardly of the cabinet 12 and downwardly of the door 14 of the same. In this position the shelf 16 is supported to extend horizontally by engagement of the intermediate backing part 19 with the wall 13 and/or front portions of cabinet 12. The shelf 16 is proportioned to be fully contained within cabinet 12 in the retracted position of the shelf unit, in the manner illustrated in Figures 1 and 3.

in use of the improved shelf unit 10 it is normally maintained in fully retracted condition within the cabinet 10, in the manner shown in Figures 1 and 3, with articles such as a mans shaving equipment (not shown) supported on shelf 16. In this retracted condition of the unit the mirror door 14 may be open or closed. When, however, the man desires to shave in front of the mirror on door 14, with the shaving equipment conveniently available on the shelf 16, it is only necessary for him to slide the unit 19 outwardly on the tracks 23 to the position of inner backing part 18 shown in Figure 2, in which the intermediate and outer parts 19 and 20 may be extended to the downward limit of vertical sliding movements thereof shown in said Figure 2, in which the shelf 16 will be presented at a convenient height below the cabinet 12, in which the door 14 may be closed against the thin intermediate part 19 for use Of the mirror thereon.

The device described is adapted to be made as a compact unit of metal, synthetic resin plastic, wood, or like materials, adapted to be easily installed in the usual medicine' cabinets provided in bathrooms. It may be easily moved between retracted and extended positions with respect to a medicine cabinet without spilling articles supported on shelf 16.

Modifications of the invention may be resorted to without departing from the spirit thereof or the scope of the appended claims.

What is claimed is:

1. An extensible and retractible shelf unit for medicine or like cabinets, of the type having top, bottom, side and back walls, comprising a backing member, means for mounting said backing member within a said cabinet above the bottom wall thereof to be horizontally shiftable between a retracted position within the cabinet and an extended position outwardly of an opening at the front which are downwardly extensible in said horizontally extended position of the backing member, said backing member having thereon a forwardly presented shelf whichis contained in the cabinet in said retracted positionof the backing member and which is'presented outwardly and below .the bottom wall of the cabinet in said outwardly extended position of the backing member.

2. An' extensible and retractible shelf unit for medicine or like cabinets of the type having top, bottom, side and back Walls, comprising an upright inner supporting part, means for mounting said supporting part within a said cabinet above the bottom wall thereofto be horizontally shiftable outwardly of an opening at the front'of the cabinet, an intermediate part vertically slidably attached to said support'ingpart, an outer part vertically slidably attached to said intermediate part and having thereon-a shelf adapted to be contained in the cabinet in horizontally and vertically retracted condition of said parts, and stop means on said parts for limiting downward vertical extensibility of the same.

3. An extensible and retractible shelf unit for medi cine or like cabinets of the type having top, bottom, side 7 ,and back walls, comprising an upright inner part having laterally spaced protrusions, laterally spaced guide tracks attached to inner wall portions of the cabinet and slidably engaged by said protrusions whereby said inner part is shiftable outwardly of an opening at the front of the V cabinet, a relatively thin intermediate part in tongue-andinet in horizontally and verticallyretracted condition of said parts. I I

4. An extensible and retractible shelf unit for medicine or like cabinets of the type having top, bottom, side and back walls, comprising inner, outer and intermediate 7 parts, guide tracks to be positioned within the cabinet adjacent the bottom wall thereof in laterally spaced parallel relation, said inner part having portions thereon slidably retained in said guide tracks to be shiftable from V and toward horizontally retracted position at the rear of the cabinet, said parts being in superposed relation and vertically slidably connected to'be downwardly exof the cabinet, said parts being in superposed relation and connected in tongue-and-groove relation to be downwardly extensible in front of the cabinet in a horizontally extended position of said parts with respect to said guide tracks, interengaging portions on said parts for limiting the vertical extensibility of said parts, and intereng aging portions on said inner part and said guide tracks for limiting said horizontal extension of said parts, said outer tensible in frontof the cabinet in a horizontally extended 7 position of said parts with respect to said guide tracks, interengaging portions on said parts for limiting the vertical extensibility of'said parts, and interengaging portions part having thereon a'shelf proportioned to be supported outer and intermediate parts, guide tracks to be positioned within the cabinet adjacent the bottom wall thereof in laterally spaced parallel relation, said inner part having portionsthereon slidably retained in said guide tracks to be shiftable from and toward horizontally re-t t tracted position at the rear of the cabinet, said parts be- 7 ing in superposed relation and connected in tongue-andgroove relation to-be downwardly extensible in front of the cabinet in a horizontally-extended position of said parts with respect to said guide track's, interengaging portions on said parts for limiting the verticalextensibility of said parts, and interengaging portions on said inner part and said guide trackstfor limiting said horizontal extension of saidtparts, said outer parthaving thereon a shelf proportioned tobe supported entirely within the cabinet in horizontally and vertically retracted positions of said parts and adapted to be positioned in front of the cabinet and beneath the bottom wall thereof in the horizon, tally and vertically extended positions of said parts.

7. An extensible and retractible shelf unit for medicine or like cabinets of the type having top,,bottom, side and back walls, comprising relatively thin, fiat inner, outer I and intermediate parts, guide tracks to be positioned within the cabinet adjacent the bottom wall thereof in laterally spaced parallel relation, said inner part having portions thereon slidably retained in said guidet tracks to be shiftable from and toward horizontally retracted position at the rear, of the cabinet, said parts being in superposed relation and connected in tongue-and-groove relation to be downwardly extensible in front of the 5. An extensible and retractible shelf unit for med=i-' cine or like cabinets of the type having top, bottom, side and backwalls, comprising inner, outer and intermediate 7 parts, guide tracks to be positioned within the cabinet adjacent the bottom wall thereof in laterally spaced parallel relation; said inner part having portions thereon slidably retained in said guide tracks to be shiftable from and toward horizontally retracted position at the rear cabinet in a horizontally extended position of said parts with respect to said guide tracks, adjustably interengaging portions on said parts for limiting the vertical extensibility of said parts, and'interengaging portions onsaid inner part and said guide tracks for limiting said horizontal extension of said parts, said outer part having thereon a shelf proportioned to be supported entirely within the cabinet in horizontally and vertically retracted positions of said parts and adapted to be positioned infront of the cabinet and beneath the bottom wall thereof in the horizontally andvertically extended positions of said parts.

ReferencesCited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 

